Election violence, vote buying eroding Nigerians’ confidence — NOA

National Orientation Agency. Photo: NOA

The National Orientation Agency has identified election violence, misinformation, vote buying and declining trust as factors eroding Nigerians’ confidence in the electoral process.

The Director, Civic, Values and Democracy Education at the NOA, Olukemi Afolayan, stated this on Thursday in Abuja at an election roundtable organised by Create Studio Nigeria and the Humanitarian Foundation for Social Justice.

Speaking on the theme, “Reclaiming Our Vote: Enfranchising a New Generation of Voters,” Afolayan said the growing perception among some citizens, particularly young Nigerians, that their votes did not make a meaningful difference was contributing to voter apathy.

She said, “Yet, across many democracies, including Nigeria, we are confronted with the challenge of declining trust, voter apathy, misinformation, vote buying, election violence and the growing perception among some citizens, particularly young people, that their votes do not make a meaningful difference.”